Still Munching Nicotine Chewing gum after Quitting Cigarette!Know Why they say ‘stop it after 12 weeks’!

Nicotine Chewing gums are the first choice of the smoke quitters now! The Idea of replacing them with just a chewing gum is very attractive and effective as well! Believe me, if you are doing this, then You are doing an incredible job but Just be prepared for quitting the nicotine chewing gum too in 12 weeks as mentioned on the nicotine Packet otherwise be ready for its side-effects! Let us tell you all you need to know about your nicotine chewing gum, when to stop and why…..

How it Works?

Nicotine chewing gums have ‘Nicotine Polacrilex’ as an active ingredient which releases nicotine and thus reduces the withdrawal symptoms. They are available in 2mg and 4mg packing.

You need to chew the gum till it gives a tingling sensation on your tongue or mouth then park it between your cheeks and gums till the tingling remains, then again chew it to release the tingles and park it somewhere else!

So it’s basically a Chew-Park-Chew Cycle which keeps on repeating unless the chewing gum fails to deliver the tingle again or until it runs out of the nicotine.

What Dosage is advised?

The word ‘Dosage’ gives you an idea that it’s not just a chewing gum; it’s a medicine that needs to be administered only in its limited mentioned quantity.

Week 1 to 6 – 1 piece every 2 hours

Week 7 to 9 – 1 piece every 4 hours

Week 10 to 12 – 1 piece every 8 hours

Precautions to be taken

You should have it with a minimum gap of 30 minutes from the meals for better absorption.

Get it prescribed by a doctor as it can hinder with the effects of any other medicines you are taking (Drug Interaction) and can exaggerate any previous illness.

Don’t use them if you are pregnant or if you are a nursing mother.

Keep it away from your Pets & kids.

When to stop?

After 12 weeks of use, Please stop it!

Short-term or Initial Side-effects

These can occur even within ’12 weeks’ period of the course of this medicine, some of which get normal with time and others will tell you that nicotine gums are a big NO for You, These are:

Hiccups

Heartburn

Nausea

Vomiting, Diarrhoea

Irregular heart beat

Mouth Sores

Flatulence/Gas

Weakness

How to Avoid these Initial Ones?

Chew the gum very slowly

Don’t chew more than one at a time

What can happen if you don’t stop the nicotine chewing gum even after 12 weeks?

Well, just keep your hand on wood and start saying ‘God Forbid’ on every point if you are one of them and be ready to get surprised because this tiny little chewing gum can do more than you think it can:

Nightmares – If you have been blaming the bad thoughts in your mind and the last scary movie you have seen, then please forgive them and put the blame on your chewing gum.

Stomach Problems– If you think that your fast food corner has changed their spices and that’s why you are getting recurrent stomach pains, acidity and flatulence then please spare him as well because this chewing gum is being nasty on your stomach now, and we don’t blame it (You didn’t follow the 12-weeks-rule You know!)

High Blood Pressure– Ya, you can have some salt and stop that gum.

Borderline Glaucoma – If you are having trouble in your eyes as well, then this is really alarming as this has been proven to cause borderline glaucoma if you keep taking it for a longer period of time.

Skin related problems– It can vary from person to person, right from dry skin to acne breakout on your whole body, just be ready to get surprised!

Feeling of faintness – You can feel dizzy and a feeling of faintness can occur due to long term usage of this chewing-gum.

Birth-defects – A study done in 2006 on 77,000 pregnant women in Denmark has showed that the women taking nicotine chewing gums while pregnancy are at a greater risk of having birth-defects in their babies.

Miscellaneous Side-effects – There are many other side-effects like Teeth/jaw defects, acidity and watery eyes etc.

Others – Some other symptoms have also been reported in the long term users of the nicotine chewing gums, but researches are going on to find if the chewing gum long term use is a cause , these are Seizures, heart diseases and Mouth cancer.

Overdose Symptoms

Dizziness/Faintness

Fast Heart Beat

Nausea/Vomiting

Weakness

How to reduce the dosage?

We understand that it’s not easy to stop this new addiction at once, but you need to stop it before it takes a toll on your health. Here are a few easy ideas to apply:

Decrease the time of the chewing gum inside your mouth, spit it earlier.

Increase the gap time between the first and the second gum and so on.

Cut the gum into smaller pieces.

Alternate it with Sugar-free gum because sometimes, it’s not the addiction, it’s just the habit of keeping something in your mouth and the sugar-free chewing gums can be a life saver for You.

Quitting Smoking and tobacco is a really brave step; we appreciate your effort, but don’t let yourself fall into another addiction. Stop it after 12 weeks and live a free life. You deserve it!

Liked the article? Please let us know in the comment section below, we would love to hear your side of story about your nicotine journey!

Author Profile

Dr Ankit Gaur

Dr Ankit Gaur is a Dentist having an experience of over 13 years.

He practices in Gaur Dental Clinic in Mayur Vihar Phase 1 New Delhi
He is also a Senior Panelist in MAX Health Care Dental Patparganj New Delhi